The Chase Is Over
by VisualIDentificationZeta
Summary: [MPJR] SUMMARY: Miss Parker never believed that one pain in the ass Pretender could make her break down sobbing with regret, but one late night phone call teaches her the truth... COMPLETE


TITLE: The Chase Is Over

AUTHOR: Vid Z.

PAIRING: MPJR

TIMELINE: a year after Carthis.

DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc of the TV show Pretender are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author of this fic. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: even though I've written over 90 fanfics in my life this is incidentally my first Pretender fic. Even though I loved the show. Please tell me how I did.

SUMMARY: Miss Parker never believed that one pain in the ass Pretender could make her break down sobbing with regret, but one late night phone call teaches her the truth.

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The annoyed, husky female voice growled into the receiver. "What!"

The voice on the other end of the line didn't react to her harsh statement. He never had. "You run, I chase. Isn't that what you said?"

The statement stunned her for a second, but then she rejoined. "What, Lab Rat, your memory giving out on you? We have excellent facilities in the Renewal Wing, specializing on these issues, you are free to return and make use of our services."

The other voice was quiet for a while. "No, thank you. I'm just calling to let you know that I won't be playing that game anymore, I've had enough of it. No more running and no more chasing."

"What?" this time the words were whispered through a choked throat. Miss Parker was mad at the tears that were starting to blur her vision with the promonition of what was to come.

"I'm done running. I'm going underground and cutting off all ties with the Centre." the voice was sombre and sad.

"Even me?" she didn't know why she asked the question, but it had escaped without her approval.

"Especially you. As my adversary I thought that I should let you know about it. Respect among enemies and all that." his words caused a pain in her chest. Enemies. Was that what they were? Was that what he thought of them? She'd never thought of them as that. Okay, she had never really wanted to think about their relationship at all, but she'd never regarded them that way. But he was't finished yet.

"I never wanted to do this, give up on you, but I've finally realized that it's a fruitless fight. No matter how hard I try, no matter how much I try to make you see what the Centre really is and what it's doing to you, what you're turning into voluntarily, my efforts are in vain. I finally realize that." she had always wondered why he hadn't just cut the ties with the Centre and disappeared for good. She'd always known that he was capable of not being found, that the Centre would never find him if he didn't want them to. Now she had her answer. She was the reason.

"So I'm giving you the peace you've always wanted of me, the peace to become just another cold-blooded murderer without a conscience and innocent people's blood on their hands, to become what you've always wanted to be just to please Daddy. Don't try to look for me, you won't find me. I'm finally going to stop looking back and start looking forward, make something of my life, find the right girl, get married, have kids. But be warned. If you're still going to be hunting me and you become a real threat I will take actions to insure my own and my family's safety. Even if it means killing you."

The threat was real and Parker heard in his voice that he would make good on it. She knew she had no chance against the man, who was not only a pretender, not only a genius, but she didn't know where he was, while he knew where SHE was at any given moment. He could kill her whenever he'd want to and she wouldn't be able to do anything to protect herself. While she knew that Jarod wasn't capable of killing her normally, she also knew that he would do everything to protect the people he loved, especially if that meant his children.

But what had caused her heart to start bleeding wasn't the thought of him threatening her. She had always been used to the threat of death with her line of work. Besides, she'd always known that one day she'd push Jarod too far and he'd strike back from instinct.

No, what had hurt her, what had caused her tears to start falling in earnest, was the idea of Jarod marrying someone else, having children with some other woman and not with her.

Deep in her heart, where the young girl who's first love had been Jarod was still living, she felt heartbreaking pain at the thought of him moving on with someone else, of another woman becoming pregnant with the children she secretly wanted to give him.

Then she heard the most terrifying words she could ever imagine, words that chilled her to the bone.

"Goodbye, Miss Parker."

They'd never said goodbye, NEVER, and here was Jarod saying these offending words and the finality of his voice shook her to the core, leaving her shaking and sobbing. She already had too many regrets in her life, she didn't want to have this one, the biggest one, as well. She knew she'd never be able to take losing Jarod, the only true friend she'd ever had, the only person in her life who had never lied to her, the man she'd loved for 30 years, as well.

"NO, JAROD!" she yelled into the phone, but it was already too late, she had heard the click of the line being closed.

She collapsed onto the floor, a mass of shaking limbs, wet cheeks and a running nose. There was no sign of the Centre's Ice Queen, only a woman in love who had pushed the man she loved too far and because of that had just lost him forever.

'This is what going into shock must feel like.' she noted idly as she could feel herself shaking.

Only with a new resolve did she manage to stop sobbing a few hours later.

As she gathered herself, washed her face, and started packing bare essentials, what she couldn't leave behind, she was infused with only one tought.

Catch Jarod.

And not for the Centre.

She would catch him for herself and never give him back, nor let him go, she would make sure he knew how much she loved him, despite the insults she had thrown his way over the decades. If Jarod thought that she would let him go off, find himself some bimbo and breed some little pains in the ass with her, he had another thing coming.

Miss Parker was on the trail again and this time she wasn't going to catch the Centre a pretender, this time she was gonna catch herself a husband.

THE END

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